Automobile parking areas, or lots, more conventionally are laid out such that parked cars are uniformly spaced from one another laterally, and means are provided to define the forward limit of parking for each auto in its associated space.
One approach in the past has been to paint lines of demarcation on the parking lot surface, indicating the exact areas within which each auto should park. The disadvantages of this technique are at least the following: (1) The markings do not prevent a driver from parking outwardly of a predetermined zone or in more than one zone. (2) The painted lines are sometimes difficult to see, especially at night. (3) Painted lines become smudged and difficult to see in time, merely as a result of autos constantly crossing them.
A further common known technique has been to provide concrete abutments defining the parking area for each auto. In a still further form, a concrete abutment is used to limit the forward extent of the parking space while painted lines define the lateral extents.
Although concrete abutments are advantageous over mere painted lines, they have certain clear disadvantages. First of all, in use they tend to break and chip away as a result of striking with the automobile tires. Also, they are very heavy and for that reason are relatively expensive to install and replace, requiring either complex forms for on-site fabrication or additional labor in loading and unloading the heavy items when fabricated remotely from the use location.